How the Position of Light Changes Your Photographs

Mark Wallace from Adorama has produced another great video regarding light in photography. The capture of light is the most important part of photography, and in essence, the light you use will define the look of the photo and define your photographic style. 

What I found most important are the terms used during the explanation. As a photographer you need to be able to explain to the assistant on set where you want the light to be, and it's always relative to where the camera is located. If you want a front-lit scene, you need to have the light set up behind you as photographer. If the camera moves, the lights are always relative and you will need to direct the assistant to move the lights to where you want by using the technical terms mentioned in the video. 

Secondly, the amount of contrast added to the scene will be determined by the direction and intensity of the light you use, so you will need to learn and know what the location of the lights will cause in your photo. The more experience you build on in studio and by using strobes, the more intuitive this will become. This is also the case for the distance of the light to the subject, the aperture you choose to shoot at and the power of the strobes. 

Strobes are powerful and lighting can be a great skill to acquire, especially if you're aiming at becoming a professional photographer. 

Wouter du Toit's picture

Wouter is a portrait and street photographer based in Paris, France. He's originally from Cape Town, South Africa. He does image retouching for clients in the beauty and fashion industry and enjoys how technology makes new ways of photography possible.

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